1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the packaging of cable, wire or the like on a spool or reel contained within a box.
2. Description of the Invention
Several packaging apparatuses have been used to contain optic fiber cable, wire and the like for shipping and storage. Among these packaging apparatuses is the REELEX.RTM. system. In the REELEX.RTM. system, wire or optic fiber cable is coiled inside a box and fed outside of the box through a tube attached to the box's side. An installer pulls on the end of the wire or optic fiber cable to draw a desired length of cable or wire out of the box. Unfortunately, the REELEX.RTM. system is subject to tangling as wire or cable is drawn therefrom. The tangling often requires the installer to tear open the box to disentangle the wire or cable. Particularly with optic fiber cable that contains relatively fragile optic fibers, such tangling can even damage the optic fiber cable and render it unusable.
Other packaging apparatuses include a reel or spool contained within a box. In many of these boxed reel systems, a pay-off stand is required to support the reel at its axis so that optic fiber cable or wire can be pulled from the reel as the reel rotates. However, the pay-off stand must be carried, assembled and disassembled by the installer. Accordingly, the pay-off stand and boxed reel combination is a cumbersome system for the installer to use. Another concern with the pay-off stand and boxed reel systems is that the pay-out of wire or optic fiber cable may not be smooth if the spool is not properly aligned on the pay-off stand. Particularly, when optic fiber cable is used, a rough pay-out can be damaging to fragile optic fibers.
Another boxed reel system uses a containing corrugated fiber box to support the reel of wire or cable (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,992). Particularly if the reel of wire or cable is heavy, the strength of the corrugated fiber box can be insufficient to support the weight of the reel. Thus, the reel may damage the corrugated fiber box and render the boxed-reel system inoperative.
Another type of boxed reel system includes a corrugated fiberboard box with a taped bottom, masonite end plates supporting a wooden dowel, and a chipboard spool rotatably mounted on the wooden dowel. Still another form of packaging related to that described immediately above includes a corrugated fiberboard box with a taped bottom, thick polyethylene end plates and a plywood reel. The taping of the bottom of the fiber board box noted above requires appreciable labor (and therefore cost) in construction of the above-described boxed reel systems. Also, the use of the masonite or thick polyethylene end plates with chipboard or plywood reel produces a heavy boxed-reel system that is cumbersome for an installer or user to transport to an installation site. Further, the boxed reel system using the masonite end plates with the wooden dowel suffers from the disadvantage that the wooden dowel tends to fall out of engagement with the masonite end plates.
Another problem that has been recognized in boxed-reel systems is the tendency for the end of the optic fiber cable, wire or the like to inadvertently retreat inside of the box, a situation causing considerable frustration and time for the installer who must tear open the box to retrieve the end of the cable or wire.